FPV and How to Get Started

FPV. It stands for First Person View. In other words, a camera on the front of your drone streams video live to VR-like goggles that you wear. Instead of flying the drone by a line of sight, you fly the drone using this video feed. FPV lets you do more acrobatic maneuvers and basically fly the drone better (because you see what the drone sees). Although I have been flying drones for a while now, none of mine have used FPV. I wanted to explore it without spending much money in order to see what it is like. I had heard of the Tiny-Whoop concept before, and I was interested in it. The Tiny-Whoop style quad is basically a cheap micro quadcopter that you can buy for around $35 to $50 that you add a camera to. Also, you need to buy a pair of FPV goggles in order to complete the setup. My friend was selling his micro quad for $40, so I bought it. Also, you need a transmitter (remote control) that is compatible with the quadcopter. Another friend was selling a compatible remote control (Spektrum DX5e) for $20, so I purchased that as well. Next, I bought a small FPV camera and cheap goggles from Banggood.com. Once all the parts arrived, I soldered the camera power wires to 5V output on the quadcopter board in order to power it. Finally, I plugged the quad into my computer and opened Cleanflight, which is a configuration utility for quadcopters. I made sure the accelerometer was working and that the propellers were all spinning in the right directions. I also assigned the switches on my transmitter to do various actions, such as arm the quad or put it into self-level mode. Once the batteries and FPV goggles were charged, I fired everything up and tested it. I was surprised about how easy the whole FPV experience was. Besides Cleanflight there isn't much configuration, and the only slightly skilled task is the simple soldering for the camera. After flying this quad for a few weeks, I am in love with the whole concept, and plan to do more projects that incorporate FPV. Not only does it make you a better pilot, but it is also a lot of fun to try and avoid obstacles or do tough maneuvers around the house. This quad is very durable due to its replaceable plastic frame that encircles the propellers, and since it can be flow easily indoors, it is something to do when you cannot fly your bigger quads outside. See photos here.